Syntax
EXACT(text1, text2)
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| text1 | Parameter of the EXACT function. |
| text2 | Parameter of the EXACT function. |
Examples
Case-sensitive password check
Formula
=EXACT(A1, "SecurePass123")
Returns TRUE only if A1 is exactly "SecurePass123". "securepass123" or "SECUREPASS123" would return FALSE.
Compare two columns
Formula
=EXACT(A1, B1)
Checks whether A1 and B1 contain the exact same text. Useful for auditing duplicate entries where case matters (e.g., product SKUs).
Validate format
Formula
=EXACT(LEFT(A1,2), "US")
Returns TRUE if A1 starts with uppercase "US". Would reject "us" or "Us" — useful for enforcing code format standards.
Common Errors
#VALUE!
Rarely occurs since EXACT converts non-text values to text for comparison, but can happen if an argument is an unresolved error.
Tips
Case matters
EXACT is the only way to do case-sensitive comparison in formulas. The regular = operator treats "ABC" and "abc" as equal.
Handles numbers
EXACT converts numbers to text before comparing. =EXACT(100, "100") returns TRUE, but =EXACT(1, TRUE) returns FALSE because TRUE becomes "TRUE".
Use with SUMPRODUCT for case-sensitive counting
=SUMPRODUCT(EXACT(A1:A100, "Widget")*1) counts cells that match "Widget" exactly, ignoring "widget" or "WIDGET".
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